New Cybersecurity Law Makes Operation Much More Difficult for Tech Companies in China

A cybersecurity law recently passed in China has drawn criticism from foreign tech companies and human rights advocates.

The law — approved by China’s parliament Monday and due to go into effect June 2017 — puts forth several mandates that the country says will help combat the rising threat of hacking and cyber terrorism. But tech companies and rights groups have largely criticized the regulations, saying that the law increases China’s censorship regime, and will make it harder for foreign companies to conduct business in the country, according to The Verge.

For example, tech companies like Apple, who operate in China, must now store their user data locally — likely making the information fair game for government surveillance. Foreign tech companies will also be forced to provide “technical support” to Chinese security agencies, AppleInsider reported. Which means that tech companies could be compelled by authorities into providing backdoor access to their data while doing business in the country.

Additionally, foreign companies who operate in China will be pressured by the government into censoring “prohibited” content, such as social media posts that promote democracy, criticize the country’s socialist regime, or “damage national unity.” The provisions would hold the tech companies responsible for the unapproved and prohibited information, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Though many of the regulations in the new cybersecurity law were already in place in the country, the formal codification of the provisions is indicative of a larger crackdown by President Xi Jinping on media and civil rights groups, Reuters reported. Last year, the country passed a broad and vague security legislation that human rights groups said would make it easier for Chinese authorities to stifle and silence dissenters.

Foreign organizations have largely been critical of the legislation. In August 2016, more than 40 foreign companies and business groups across the globe petitioned for the law to be amended, but the legislation passed Monday retained many of the controversial elements.

The country also draws plenty of criticism from human rights organizations for its censorship and security practices. China currently has the highest number of imprisoned journalists in the world — including many who were arrested for reporting on the country’s slowing economy. Chinese authorities have also conducted witch hunts on distributors of pornography, rumor-mongering, slash fiction, and gambling in recent years, Engadget reported.

“Despite widespread international concern from corporations and rights advocates for more than a year, Chinese authorities pressed ahead with this restrictive law without making meaningful changes,” Sophie Richardson, Human Rights Watch’s China Director, wrote in a statement. “The already heavily censored internet in China needs more freedom, not less,” she added.

Featured Image: Washington Post

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